Bad Blood

(1989)(The second book in the Mike Tozzi and Cuthbert Gibbons series)A novel by Anthony Bruno

Publisher's WeeklyBy coincidence, Bruno (whose Bad Guys earned high praise) has also written a thriller featuring the Yakuza and the mob (see review above). His effort, however, is everything a suspense novel should be--a highly credible, tautly paced stunner. A young Japanese couple is found floating in the Hudson River in a VW bug, their bodies neatly sliced in half. FBI special agent Cuthbert Gibbons is called out of retirement to assist his frazzled ex-partner, Mike Tozzi, who's on probation. The trail leads to a Japanese slave ring that imports menial workers, run by the Mafia in cahoots with the Yakuza. Bruno teams a frustrated New Jersey Mafia capo with a Yakuza thug, each eager for career advancement and seething under a domineering, elderly boss. Other characters include a samurai who hacks cockroaches for target practice and two supportive girlfriends who keep the FBI men on track. The author does not romanticize his mafiosi, nor does he stereotype the honor-bound Yakuza. Developing complex characters whose rat-a-tat dialogue flashes, he leavens the suspense with dark humor and builds to a slam-bang finale.

Library JournalBruno's excellent second novel fulfills the promise of his first ( Bad Guys , LJ 6/1/88). Taken back into the FBI fold, renegade agent Michael Tozzi--still feisty, independent, and forward--works once more with former partner Gibbons. Together they tackle the brutal slayings of two Japanese dumped in New York waters. The investigation moves quickly into the not-so-nether realms of a yakuza-Mafia coalition controlling Asian slavery in New York. Anticipating Crais ( Stalking the Angel , reviewed in this column), Bruno blends misdirected samurai behavior into the crime scene. Gutsy action, fascinating if not attractive characters, detailed surrounds, and realistic guy/girl relationship problems make this a hit.